[Jeef Beef]

Not quite sure what you mean by 'not in control of the car' but I do agree that the change from 1st to 2nd can be quite jerky unless you do it very gently. Also, idling in 2nd is usually too fast for traffic jams. I usually go to first if I'm crawling.

I always rev-match or heel toe when I need to drop to second gear for a corner, so I can pop the clutch and still don't feel the 'leap' forward.